Never Alone
by Gwydion
Summary: "Well, look what I found - a little lost turtle without his big brothers to hold his hands." Mikey fought back the urge to gulp as Rahzar and a small army of Footbots dropped onto the roof, completely surrounding him. So much for his late night pizza run.


Disclaimer: I do not own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

**Never Alone**

"Well, look what I found - a little lost turtle without his big brothers to hold his hands."

Mikey fought back the urge to gulp as Rahzar and a small army of Footbots dropped onto the roof, completely surrounding him. So much for his late night pizza run.

"This turtle is more than enough to take on you and a couple of tin cans," he mocked as he whipped out his nunchucks, hoping he sounded more confident than he felt. His eyes narrowed. "Bring it on, wolf man!"

With a sneer, the large mutant crouched before springing into the air with a howl, a signal to the nearby soldiers to attack. Three Footbots immediately did as ordered, attempting to ambush the young turtle with their superior numbers, but Mikey was too quick for them. He nimbly rolled out of the way as Rahzar landed inches from where he had stood, bashing his weapons into two of the robots' heads which crumpled under the harsh blows.

From that point on, he was a flurry of whirling nunchucks, striking left and right as more and more attackers came at him. At first it seemed like he was able to hold his own, a slight grin even gracing his face, but despite how many robots he was taking out, more and more seemed to take their place. Rahzar wasn't slowing down either, his sharp claws flying too close to his neck for comfort. Flicking out the blade on his kusarigama as the Footbots grew accustomed to his fighting style, he grit his teeth, slicing one of their heads clean off.

Despite his seemingly overabundance of energy, however, his stamina was already beginning to wane. He wasn't used to having to remain so completely and totally focused for extended periods of time, usually relying on his brothers to have his back. But they weren't here right now. They were waiting, probably impatiently, back at the lair for him to return with their midnight snack. He was on his own, and he was all too aware of how exposed it made him feel.

A cry of pain suddenly ripped from his throat as he felt Rahzar's claws scraping along his right arm, and he quickly ducked away, piercing a Footbot with his left.

"Won't be long now, little turtle."

Blocking out the taunting voice, Mikey continued to fight off the remaining hoard as best he could, ignoring the pain shooting up his arm. His breaths grew more ragged as his movements took on a frantic edge.

"Why don't you just give up. It's obvious you're all alone. No one is coming to save you, and you have no chance of escape."

He would not give up. He couldn't. His brothers were waiting for him. All he needed was one opening, one tiny, fleeting opening.

"Where are your brothers, anyway? Told you to get lost so they could have some peace and quiet for once, huh? Can't say I blame them."

The voice in his head telling him to ignore the large mutant's words was growing weaker, becoming overpowered as Rahzar continued his verbal and physical assault. He was becoming so distracted he nearly didn't duck in time as a spiked morning star flew at his head. Falling backwards in an ungraceful heap, he quickly sprung back to his feet only to come face to face with the terrifying wolf creature.

"Of course, you're being awfully quiet tonight. Must be because you know I'm right." The toothy grin that spread across his face would have sent shivers down Mikey's spine if he hadn't already turned away, downing another Footbot as he tried to escape the hideous monster.

But his luck was finally running out. While the ranks of robots had thinned, there were still enough to block his path, and before he could cut through them, he felt a large claw slam him into the rough surface of the roof, his chin banging against it so hard he wouldn't have been surprised if he'd chipped a tooth. He gasped as the air was knocked out of him, a heavy weight, pushing down on his shell.

"Of all the turtles I could have run into tonight, I can't tell you how grateful I am that I ran into you, _Mikey_," he said with a dark chuckle, his teeth so close that the young turtle could feel the powerful mutant's hot breath on the back of his neck. "I've been waiting for this for a long time, and I'm going to make sure it's nice and slow so I can fully enjoy myself. Maybe I'll start with your tongue so I never have to hear that annoying babbling of yours ever again."

The little turtle did his best to hold back a whine as his mind raced, trying to think of something, anything to help him escape. But the more he struggled, the more pressure Rahzar put on his shell.

"Still struggling, are we? Don't know why you bother. See, I'm doing you a favor. Without you around always screwing up and getting in the way, I'm sure your brothers will be much happier."

It wasn't true, he knew that. But lying there helpless with no one but his fiercest enemies watching, he couldn't help feeling as useless as Rahzar claimed him to be. He could feel his eyes growing moist, but quickly willed it away. He couldn't hide his fear, but he wasn't going to give into it either, no matter how hopeless the situation seemed.

Without warning, Mikey felt the clawed hand grasp his shoulder, turning him over roughly and shoving him down on his shell. This time, instead of holding him down with his hand, Rahzar simply held him in place with his foot, leaning down on his knee until the pressure made it hard for the young turtle to breathe. His eyes went wide as the fierce mutant's bony muzzle came inches from his face, that cruel grin staring down at him.

"You do want your brothers to be happy, don't you?" he growled, dark laughter rumbling in his throat. "Don't worry. I'll make sure to send them your body - in pieces."

The words didn't even have time to sink in before the heavy weight on his chest was sent flying off of him with an enraged roar. As he sucked in a deep breath, trying to comprehend what was happening, a loud, angry voice broke through the night air.

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HIM, DOG BREATH! IF YOU'VE HURT HIM, SO HELP ME I'M GONNA - "

Mikey wasn't sure how Raph had found him, but he was instantly back on his feet, trying his best to push through the sudden wave of dizziness. His brother was fully engaged with the large mutant, paying no attention to the dozen or so Footbots on their way to help. Blue eyes narrowed in determination. There was no way they were getting anywhere near his brother.

"Booyakasha!" His battle cry caught the robots attention, directing their piercing stares back towards him. "Come and get it, you hunks of scrap metal!"

With his hope renewed, he made quick work of the nearest soldiers before the rest had him surrounded yet again. But he wasn't worried, and a playful smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. This time he wasn't alone.

The pain in his arm barely even registering, he systematically began taking down the Footbots one by one. His energy was still drained, but he knew he had enough, just enough to keep the lowly grunts busy while Raph handled Rahzar. The numbers dwindled down to five, then four. With another whack from his nunchuck they were reduced to three. And finally, wielding his blade with expert precision, two and one fell at his feet.

He barely allowed himself a chance to sigh with relief before he frantically whirled around, his eyes searching for the other dueling mutants. But instead what he found was a black mask with bright red eyes raising a sickle, ready to strike. He'd missed one.

But it didn't matter. No sooner had he seen the lone Footbot than a sai flew through the air and pierced it through it's metal skull. Watching as it fell harmlessly to the ground, he let out the breath he hadn't even been realizing he'd been holding and turned toward the direction the weapon had come from.

"Took you long enough."

It was said with a smile, but it was that exact moment that the exhaustion hit him full force, and before he realized it was happening, Mikey tumbled forward. Thankfully, somebody was there to catch him.

"Mikey! Hey, bro, you alright?" The young turtle heard a soft gasp as the gentle voice paused. "What the heck happened to your arm? Did that dog-face do this to you? That coward took off before I could really beat the crap outta him, but next time I see that son of a - "

"Hey, Raph?" His brother's increasingly loud voice thankfully came to an abrupt halt.

"Yeah?"

It was weird hearing his tough, older brother sound so genuinely concerned that Mikey couldn't help but smile. He felt the protective, strong arms gripping him as if he were made of glass and sighed at the comfort they brought. He was not alone.

"Don't forget to get the pizza on our way back. I'm starving."

With a snort, Raph shifted his grip, pulling his T-phone from his belt with a smile.

"How 'bout I tell Leo to get the pizza. We're going home, little brother."

Mikey could already feel himself drifting off as Raph finished his text and replaced the phone. Scooping him into his arms, he began carrying him toward the fire escape on the edge of the roof, carefully walking around the dozens and dozens of mangled robots that lay at his feet.

"Yeah," he mumbled lazily, "that sounds good."

As the young turtle began drifting off to sleep, he could feel his brother's grip tighten, barely making out the whispered words that fell from his mouth.

"You did good tonight, Mikey. And nothing will ever make us happier than when you come home safe and sound."

* * *

A/N: Sorry for flooding everyone's inbox's lately - I took some requests on tumblr and got more than I thought I would! This was supposed to be a short drabble. It turned out not at all how I expected it would. But hey, I've had Mikey saving Raph at least twice now; time to switch things up!

As always, critics and grammar police appreciated!


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